The above graphic, passed along by the Huffington Post‘s Laura Bassett, was put together by the Enliven Project using data from Department of Justice’s National Crime Victimization Survey and FBI reports. It drives home extremely well the fact that false rape accusations are exceedingly rare, despite what media reports might suggest. Almost as rare are cases when rapists actually go to jail.
Update: Rape statistics are notoriously hard to collect, and Amanda Marcotte has a compelling critique of the methods used here, which Enliven describes in more detail here. So while the phenomena described here are real (and Marcotte argues that, if anything, the chart exaggerates the number of false accusations), be aware that the exact numbers are subject to dispute.
By Jonathan Miller, on Tue Jan 8, 2013 at 10:00 AM ET
Something big is happening on Monday, and you’re not going to want to miss it.
More than 1,300 citizens are joining No Labels at the Meeting to Make America Work! on January 14 – and although the event is sold out, that doesn’t mean you can’t be a part of it by participating online.
Our honorary co-chairs, Gov. Jon Huntsman and Sen. Joe Manchin, are leading a town hall at the meeting and they want to hear from you. They’ll be taking questions from the audience, they wanted to give you the chance to ask a question too.
Want to know about problem solving, gridlock in Washington, or what it takes to be a leader? Ask your question right now and we’ll have as many questions as possible answered live during the Meeting to Make America Work!
Click here to ask your question via Twitter, using the hashtag #NoLabels.
Click here to ask your question via Facebook, in the comments section.
And don’t forget to tune in on Monday, January 14 to watch the event live online.
Thanks for your help – and for being a part of No Labels!
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Mon Jan 7, 2013 at 3:00 PM ET
The Politics of Pigskin
Check out this week’s divisional matchups to the left. If you’ll notice each team’s logo in the respective matchups has something in common with its opponent. Just a neat observation .
Here is an album of all the newspaper frontpages of the cities that participated in Wild Card weekend. [photo album]
Trent Williams of the Redskins and the Seahawks’ Richard Sherman converged on the field after the the Seahawks’ victory and it appears that Williams wasn’t in a very good mood. [DC Sports]
This is fun: All 256 regular season NFL games ranked by watchability. Check it out. [Deadspin]
Do you agree with the way the Redskins’ staff handled RGIII’s injury? [PFT]
Here are some storylines to watch going into the Divisional round this weekend. [ESPN AFC] [ESPN NFC]
Lest we not forget the BCS National Championship game is tonight pitting the juggernaut from yesteryear versus the perennial powerhouse – Notre Dame vs. Alabama. Who you got? [ESPN]
“I haven’t felt this way since I was getting busted for Vietnam War protests and had a civil defense rap sheet as long as my arm,” Applewhite declared.
The object of his enthusiasm? No Labels, a national movement aimed at getting politicians of different stripes to work together in order to grease the wheels of the nation’s gridlocked governmental machinery.
Applewhite, a former elected official who once served on the Santa Fe School Board, said he’s become tired of turning on the television and seeing partisan leaders who disregard “rules of conduct that kindergartners learn.”
“Who would think that compromise could become a dirty word? It’s an indictment of the way we conduct ourselves as a country,” he said.
Applewhite isn’t alone in his embrace of the No Labels movement.
More than 30 people showed up at the Heart of Mary Retreat and Carmelite Center Saturday for the inaugural meeting of No Labels’ Santa Fe group.
The movement is quickly garnering supporters all over the Land of Enchantment. More than 1,000 New Mexicans have signed on to the No Labels cause and “we haven’t even really started yet,” organizer Dudley Hafner said.
Hafner and other Santa Fe organizers said Saturday they expect the movement to gain even more steam when No Labels holds a conference in New York City later this month. The event is expected to feature statements of support from politicians, including former President Bill Clinton and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
No Labels has already signed up about 94 members of Congress, according to organizers. Former Utah Republican Gov. John Huntsman and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., have agreed to be the group’s national leaders.
On Saturday, meeting attendees learned more about No Labels and participated in a short planning session. They also listened in on a conference call with No Labels co-founder Jonathan Miller, the current Secretary of Finance and Administration for the state of Kentucky.
Miller criticized national leaders as “hyper-partisan, paralyzed actors” who continue “to act against the interests of the nation.”
He said No Labels is focused on parallel outreaches: a grassroots, “living room” effort already comprised of some 600,000 ordinary people, and a growing group of Democratic and Republican Party politicians committed to working together to find solutions.
Miller and other No Labels organizers emphasize that the movement is about making the political system work better – not advocating for particular parties or ideologies.
By Jonathan Miller, on Thu Jan 3, 2013 at 1:30 PM ET
If you haven’t seen Django Unchained yet — and you can stand the sight of a lot of fake human blood — go see it this weekend: It’s the best movie of the year.
That’s saying a lot: I loved Lincoln and Silver Lings Playbook and Argo and liked Skyfall a whole lot.
To whet your whistle, here’s a fun compilation — by the good folks at CollegeHumor.com — of all of writer/director Quentin Tarantino’s pop culture references in his earlier movies, arranged chronologically by subject matter:
By Jonathan Miller, on Wed Jan 2, 2013 at 4:00 PM ET
I am honest enough to admit when I’m wrong, and boy was I ever wrong to deny the “War on Christmas.” Thanks to David Frum for helping me see the light and realize my sad, sad role in this international conspiracy.
By Jonathan Miller, on Wed Jan 2, 2013 at 1:30 PM ET
I’ve written extensively at this site and The Huffington Postabout the liberal, Zionist case for a two-state solution that provides for a Palestinian homeland on most of the West Bank, and a safe and secure Jewish State next door.
Turns out an overwhelming majority of Israelis — 67% in fact — agree with me. From The Times of Israel:
Roughly two-thirds of respondents (67 percent) expressed support for a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders, with land swaps; a demilitarized Palestine; and Jerusalem’s Old City administered jointly by the United States, Israel, and the Palestinians, with Israel maintaining control of the Western Wall.
The S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace, a non-profit advocacy group based in Washington DC, approached two Israeli research companies, the Dahaf Institute and Smith Consulting, requesting that they survey Israeli opinions regarding a future peace agreement with the Palestinians. Each poll was conducted independently…
In both polls, respondents were asked how they would vote if the government brought to a referendum a peace agreement that would end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with the following provisions: Its implementation would take place only after the Palestinians would fulfill all their commitments with an emphasis on fighting terror, and the implementation would be monitored and verified by the United States.
The principles of the hypothetical agreement included:
Two states: Israel the state of the Jewish people and Palestine the state of the Palestinian people.
Palestinian refugees will have a right to return only to the new state of Palestine.
The Palestinian state will be demilitarized, without an army.
Jewish neighborhoods of Jerusalem will come under Israeli sovereignty and Arab neighborhoods under Palestinian sovereignty.
The Old City within the walls will be without sovereignty and will be jointly administered by the United States, Israel, and the Palestinians. The Holy Places will be under the same religious supervision as current arrangements (for example, the Western Wall will be under Israeli supervision and responsibility).
Borders will be based on the 1967 lines and will include land swaps equal in size that will take into consideration Israel’s security needs and will maintain the large settlement blocs under Israeli sovereignty.
According to the Dahaf poll, 67% of respondents would vote in favor of such an agreement, 21% would oppose it and 12% did not answer. The Smith poll found that 68% would support the agreement (of them 40% would strongly support it), 25% would oppose it (17% strongly oppose it) and 7% had no opinion.
By Jonathan Miller, on Wed Jan 2, 2013 at 8:35 AM ET
Sign up for the fitness challenge right here:
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If you are like us, each new year begins with a resolution to live a healthier lifestyle. And if you are like us, that resolution is long forgotten soon after Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow.
As Yogi Berra might have said, “It’s Groundhog Day all over again.”
Join us in proclaiming that 2013 will be different. And we at The Recovering Politician are here to help.
For the past few weeks, we’ve been recovering from years of political stress by engaging in a fierce (OK, mostly hilarious) fitness challenge, supervised by one of the region’s finest personal trainers, Josh Bowen.
Follow these links to read how our competition was launched, how John Y. resisted temptation on a Mediterranean cruise and then tried to tempt Jonathan with a candy gift basket, and how Jonathan learned that emulating a movie character played by the Sexist Man Alive (see pics at right) wasn’t necessarily the optimal fitness plan.
But this isn’t about us. A key objective of our Web site has always been to identify ways to serve the public from our private posts. And our philosophy remains the same: The optimal kind of help anyone can provide others — whether government or individual — is neither a handout nor a cold shoulder, but rather empowerment with tools they can use to improve their own lives
So as the New Year begins, we open up the challenge to you. Whether you are interested in losing weight, firming up, or simply living a healthier lifestyle, joining our New Year’s Fitness Challenge will provide you the following assistance:
A FREE email assessment and fitness plan design by our personal training expert, Josh Bowen.
FREE weekly emails with tips from Josh, and “insights” (read: struggles and jokes) from John Y. and me.
The option to help you find a certified personal trainer in any city in the U.S.
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Mon Dec 31, 2012 at 3:00 PM ET
The Politics of Pigskin
Today is what is traditionally known as Black Monday in the NFL – the day that is most popular with owners for firing staff in order to go in a different direction with their respective clubs. Here is a list of the firings up to this point – EAGLES – Andy Reid, BEARS – Lovie Smith, BILLS – Chan Gailey, BROWNS – Pat Shurmur, Tom Heckert, CHIEFS – Romeo Crennel, JETS – GM Mike Tannenbaum, JAGUARS – GM Gene Smith. Follow the link to follow all the Black Friday news. [ESPN]
The Vikings pulled out a great win on a last second field goal Sunday night to beat the Packers and secure a playoff berth. The feeling was probably soured just a tiny bit for Adrian Peterson as he came up 9 yards short for the all-time single season rushing record with 2097. [LA Times]
The Broncos managed to snag the #1 seed with their win on Sunday. It’s hard to believe this team was once 2-3. I guess taking a chance on that Peyton Manning guy worked out. [Yahoo!]
Here is a preview of Wild Card weekend for you. [CBS]
It was an interesting sight on Sunday when the Redskins only had 7 players out on the receiving team for a punt. [picture]
Something big is happening on Monday, and you’re not going to want to miss it.
If you are like us, each new year begins with a resolution to live a healthier lifestyle. And if you are like us, that resolution is long forgotten soon after Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow.
Follow these links to read how our competition
